Holy Quest to Create
by Metatron's Prophet
Summary: Sunny, a member of the king's most feared warriors clan (the Clippers), is sent on a quest to create a magic item to save his kingdom. As he embarks on this quest, he seems stuck with a young boy named Merlin.
1. Chapter 1

In the ruins of a town of the outskirts of the Kingdom of Perseus, a group of bandits were celebrating their successful pillaging. An entire village had been laid to waste by them and they now drank the wine from the local tavern they had destroyed and ate the food the farmers had worked hard to harvest and make. Some of the homes were still burning, but the only sound to be heard was the bandits' laughter. All of them were covered in mud and blood. They carried a couple swords, some knives, and a few poorly made clubs. Nearby, there was a wagon with four chained and beaten boys in it. The bandits planned to sell these young men to the neighboring kingdom as slaves. Three of them had lost hope, which their leader said is essential for slaves, but one still had a strength in his eyes. Light that had not even dimmed.

"Hey, Thomas, I think we should get moving." One of the bandits said to their leader.

"Well, I say we are in no hurry." The leader, Thomas, said, then spat on the ground. "What? You worried the King Barron is gonna send a Clipper here to kill us? Even if one shows up here, we will just kill him. All Clippers are is soldiers with a fancy title."

"Please don't joke about that." The grunt replied. "I have seen a Clipper in action. Clippers are demons in human form. They kill without remorse or pity. One is more than enough to kill all of us in a matter of moments."

"You seriously think so?" Thomas spat right in his lackey's face. "Then you are a paranoid coward. No way one man could kill all of us. No chance in hell!"

"I beg you, listen to-"

The grunt stopped mid-sentence and fell to the ground. Dead. A knife lodged in his back. Now, the leader shouted to his men to ready themselves. One second later, two more bandits dropped dead with knives in their throats. The bandits were growing quite nervous now; they were sweating rapidly, holding their weapons tightly and glancing in every direction. Another bandit died with a knife in his chest. Thomas would not stand for this any longer.

"Come out, you coward!" He yelled in anger. "A real man does not fight in shadows! A real man faces his enemies with pride and without fear! Face us like a man!"

"Alright." A voice pierced through the dark silence of night.

On top of a nearby building, a figure appeared. This figure wore a red cloak and his face was hidden by his hood. Strapped to his back were two swords and attached to his belt were empty knife holsters. What struck fear into the bandits' hearts was the symbol of the figure's cloak. The symbol resembled the head of a lion that had been set ablaze. It was the symbol of King Barron's most elite warriors, the Clippers.

"Nooo!" One of the bandit's screamed, dropping his weapon and running away.

He did not get far, because the Clipper used his last knife to kill him just before he made it out of sight. The knife went straight into the bandit's spine. His death was instant. Now the other bandits knew it was pointless to try to escape. Before any of them even had a chance to consider attacking, the Clipper jumped off the roof of the building and made a graceful landing right in front of Thomas. In a flash, the Clipper drew his swords and struck down their leader. The other bandits did not move, they were simply too scared to attack first. So they waited for the Clipper to attack. They waited and waited and waited. However, the Clipper remained as still as a statue. For what felt like months no one moved and nothing happened. When the waiting became too much to bare, a young bandit charged at the Clipper, wildly swinging a knife. Once he was close enough, the Clipper dropped his swords and caught the bandit's arm. In one fluid motion, the Clipper broke the bandit's arm, grabbed his knife and slit his throat.

Then the slaughter began. Two more bandits came at the Clipper from opposite sides with swords. The Clipper grabbed his swords and the deflected the grunts attacks. It took three seconds to deal with one by thrusting a sword through his gut. The other had decent sword skills, but the Clipper still cut off the hand holding the sword and stabbed the bandit. Another attacked him with a club in one hand and a knife in the other. With one kick, the Clipper broke his neck.

Before the Clipper could kill the bandit trying to sneak up behind him, someone knocked the bandit out from behind. The person who did was one of the kids who had been chained in the wagon. He had managed to unscrew the screw that bound his chains to the wagon. Once he got free, instead of running, he found a rock and helped by taking down a bandit. This impressed the Clipper. It was clear the kid had courage and inner strength.

The kid had dark-brown skintone, brown eyes, and very short brown hair. He was clearly injured. His left eye was swollen shut, there were bruises all over him, and his fingers on his right hand were bleeding. The fingers were probably the result of him using them to unscrew his chains. Clearly, the boy possessed great will to suffer that much harm and not lose the hope that was burning ever so brightly in his eyes.

"Nice job, kid." The Clipper said. "Do you want me to finish him, or do you wish to exact vengeance for your village and kill this man yourself?"

"Does he have to die?" The boy replied. "Can't you just take him back to Capital city as a prisoner? I know it would be difficult to transport a prisoner that far, but please!"

"I could do that." The Clipper answered. "But I need you to answer one question. Why show mercy and compassion to someone who help slaughter your entire village? To someone who has wounded you so deeply; and I don't mean physical wounds. I mean wounds of the soul."

The boy avoided the Clipper's gaze.

"Don't pretend I am wrong." The Clipper said. "I can see the pain in your eyes. I can also see you do want vengeance, but you fight against the urge. Why?"

Now the boy looked him straight in the eye and said, "Because if I kill him, I would be no different from him. A killer, and that is something I will never be."

"I hope so." The Clipper said. "My name is Sunny. You?"

"Merlin. I am Merlin." The boy replied.


	2. Chapter 2

After four days of traveling, Sunny and Merlin had reached Capital city with their prisoner. The prisoner did not attempt to escape even once. Probably because he knew if he did, Sunny would end him. Even if he was going to spend the rest of his life in Capital city's dungeon, at least he would be alive. All living creatures are born with a fear of death, and only through true pain and hardship can that be completely overcome.

Though the city was still a distance away, its beauty was obvious. Every building at the center was made of marble, including the king's castle. To be honest, the castle seemed more like a fortress. There was a fifteen foot wall surrounding it with towers attached to them. In each tower were at least two archers. Behind the walls, in the courtyard, many young men were being trained as soldiers. The king decided on that.

The other buildings, not in the center, may not have been marble, but they had clearly been constructed carefully. People busily moved about the city, going about their daily lives. The busiest part of the city was the harbor; a large and damaged ship docking at the harbor caught Sunny's eye. There was something familiar about it.

"Sunny?" Merlin inquired. "Are you okay?"

"What?" Sunny replied, turning his gaze away from the harbor.

"Finally, a response." Merlin said. "You have been staring into space for a while now. I have called your name seven times already, and you did not react at all. You didn't even blink."

"My apologizes." Sunny replied. "I got distracted. Now, let's hurry up and get to the city."

"Okay." Merlin said, starting to have the wagon move.

Sunny rode beside him on his horse, Danny. In the wagon, the prisoner was restrained from head to toe. The wagon was being pulled by two horses. As the sun began to set, they reached the city. When they reached the gate to the castle, Merlin climbed off the wagon.

"Where are you planning to go from here?" Sunny asked.

"Probably get a job as a deckhand." Merlin replied. "I have always wanted to see more of the world, and that is what I intend to do so."

"I like you, Merlin." Sunny said. "You are a good kid with a good heart. Make sure that no matter what happens, you stay the same way you are now. A good kid who cares about others and respects the values of life and kindness."

"I don't know if what you say is all that true, but I don't plan on changing." Merlin replied. "Ever. I like who I am now."

"Change is inevitable." Sunny said in a serious tone. "Just keep the core of who you are intact. Your heart has a powerful light inside it. Do not allow darkness to taint it. That is the most important thing."

"Alright, I promise you I will never allow darkness and evil into my heart." Merlin said with a smile. "But I want you to promise me something in return."

"What do you ask of me?" Sunny inquired.

"I want you to start letting some light into your life." Merlin answered. "Since we met, I could see you have given up on yourself. You believe you are a monster beyond redemption. The reason you like me so much is because you see good qualities you believe no longer apply to you. However, I do not see it that way. As long as a someone lives, they can still change. All they have to have is the will to make it happen."

Sunny looked into Merlin's eyes for a moment, then looked away and laughed.

"Seriously kid, what are you talking about?" Sunny said. "I am simply a soldier. I have friends and family. I do not see myself as a monster."

Sunny has told many lies in his life, but these were literally biggest he had ever told. It mentally hurt to tell them. Merlin needed to his light, so Sunny told these lies and was prepared to tell more. The world needs good men like him. Men who will not given to darkness and take lives mercilessly. Still, he doubted Merlin would believe him. He could see truths that about Sunny he had never told anyone. One day, he would no doubt be a wise man.

Merlin sighed. "Just promise you will search for a light in your life."

For a second, Sunny thought about what Merlin was saying. He decided to make the promise.

"Okay, I promise if I find a light in my life, I will hold on to it." Sunny replied.

"Thank you, my friend." Merlin said just before he hurried away, towards the harbor.

Friend. It has been awhile since Sunny had been called that. The sound of the word brought a tear to his eye. He made a quick prayer to the Gods that Merlin would live a happy life. Then, Sunny walked through the opening gate to the castle. Two knights welcomed back and took the prisoner away for him. As Sunny walked across the courtyard, he glanced at all the soldiers in training. There seemed to be more than there were when he had left.

There were at least three hundred men total. Some were practicing hand-to-hand combat, some were learning swordsmanship, while others were going through various obstacle courses. Strangely, it was clear to Sunny that they were all training harder than ever. Something was wrong; Sunny could feel it in his gut.

This feeling was confirmed when Sunny entered the throne room. All the generals and advisors were assembled there, over a long wooden table that had maps and messages laid out all over it. King Barron sat in his throne with his usual serious expression, listening intently to every word that was spoken. He wore red battle armor with his sword and shield at his side. It took him a moment to notice Sunny.

"Hello, Sunny." The king said. "Good to see you have returned. Have you dealt with the bandits?"

"Yes, my king." Sunny replied. "If I may so bold as to ask, what is going on?"

"It would be best I answer that." A voice behind him said.

It was Slade, the king's royal sorcerer. He wore a black robe with a hood pulled completely over his face. The robe was embroidered with dozens of white symbols. There was an eeriness about him. Just by being close to him, you felt colder and more alert.

Slade and Sunny stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them.

"I fear me may be facing a war soon." Slade said.

"Why?" Sunny asked with a flat tone.

"While you have spent the past three weeks hunting bandits, the king of the neighboring kingdom, Lazar of Beel, died." Slade replied. "Our intelligence indicates that the new king is amassing for war. His army is already recruiting."

"For what purpose?" Sunny asked.

"We do not know." Slade replied. "But you know our new military is still weak after the previous war. The courtyard is full of new recruits we were forced to conscript."

"That is why we need a new weapon to repel our enemy!" Someone yelled.

A beaten man limped down the hallway. When he fell to the floor, Sunny and Slade hurried over to him. That was when he recognized the man. It was Ethan, and adventurer/explorer that answered directly to the king. He had severe injuries but was smiling.

"I found our hope!" Ethan said just before he passed out.


End file.
